Shout Out Series ! - Tumblr Posts

this was so good! <3

₍ 📢 ₎ FROM , JAKE ! SHOUT OUT , EP1

SUMMARY. Jake remembers when he first had to leave South Korea: he was young, attached, and not ready to let go of everything he knew. But eventually, he did. And he was starting to make peace with it — until he had to move back. All of a sudden, the place he thought as his home feels unfamiliar. But you? The girl who reached a hand out to him when he needed one the most? You were… familiar. More than you could ever realise. You reminded him of home.

OR  ;  the one where transfer student!jake looks sad and lonely, so classmate!reader invites him to sit with you at lunch — only for him to end up following you around everywhere like a lost puppy. but, hey — he’s cute.

starring ‣ transfer student!jake x classmate!reader

warnings ‣ minor injury, mentions of parental neglect , divorce, bittersweet ending

word count ‣ ~16k (help this is so long 😭)

notes ‣ wheeeeee so here goes the first official chapter of shout out aka the one that some people have already kinda read before during the tfw series — and is somewhat similar, but also different? idk… but the way it took me so long 😭 sorry for the wait guys — the urge to delete only seconds before posting is unbelievable 😭 perfectionism sucks ☹️ ( divider below by cafekitsune )

• RECORDING STARTED •

“Hi, it’s Jake here…” Looking into the lense of the camera, Jake let out an awkward laugh. “Sorry, was that weird?”

As he was lying on his stomach, the camera positioned at the head of the bed, he repositioned himself so that he was being propped up by his elbows. Jake sighed.

“Anyway, this is kind of awkward because I don’t really know what to do. I don’t think I ever filmed myself talking before… You were always there when I needed someone to talk to…”

Jake bit his lip, his eyes distant for a moment. Seconds passed before he sighed and shook his head, running a hand through his hair.

“But since you can’t be here at the moment, I guess I’ll have to suck it up, huh?” Jake laughed. “If you didn’t know, we’re all filming a short video about all the important moments in our life, after meeting you… All the reasons why we care…”

A tired sigh passed Jake’s lips.

“But if I’m being honest, it’s not really as easy as it sounds. There’s too many things I want to say to you…”

Jake’s room was silent.

“But I guess I should start from the beginning though, right? Hey — do you remember when we first met? I guess it’s kinda different depending on where you start…”

He smiled, his eyes sparkling with mischief. Like he were hiding a secret that he couldn’t wait to share.

“But I guess we should go of our first official meeting, right? So let’s say it was summer…”

IT WAS SUMMER.

The air was humid and the scorching heat of the sun caused everyone to walk around in a constant state of perspiration and chronic cravings for cold ice water. In this heat, the last thing anyone wanted to be doing was running laps around the field — and yet, you found yourself doing exactly that.

Apparently, being late — even if by a mere five minutes — was unforgivable. And while it was only the first day back to school, not even you were spared from the harsh punishment of the teacher on ‘straggler duty’, who caught you trying to enter the school by climbing over the side gate. Not your brightest idea, since it just made your punishment worse. But at the time, it was ingenious.

Rather than kneeling by the gates with your arms up like the rest of the girls, you were given the special treatment: one lap around the field.

So now you were dragging yourself to walk the last stretch of your punishment, your forehead and uniform drenched in sweat, and your carefully styled hair being forced back into a shabby pony tail to keep it from sticking to your forehead. That time spent in the morning trying to make you look presentable, and it had all gone up in flames.

It wasn’t even eight-o’clock yet.

“Oh, sweet mercy!” You almost fell to your knees when you completed your lap, the sudden urge to kiss the earth washing over you like the heat waves emanating from the sun. “Finished!”

You stood there, panting, with your hands on your hips and your head tilted towards the sky. You groaned.

I want to go home… You shook your head. No— it’s only the first day! You checked the watch on your wrist. It hasn’t even been an hour yet!

You sighed in frustration before letting your arms gall to your side. This was it. You couldn’t take it anymore. You were going to collapse at any moment.

You looked towards your bag — which you left at the bleachers before commencing your lap — and immediately caught sight of your water bottle. Your wonderful water bottle, filled to the brim with cold water you took straight out of the refrigerator this morning. Without wasting any more time, you immediately made your way over.

To your surprise, there was someone else already there.

“Oh—“ you stopped on your steps and lifted a hand to shield your eyes, which squinted to get a better look at the figure in the distance. “What’s that?”

From what you observed it was a member of the male species — teenaged, considering he was wearing the boys’ uniform. He was sitting with his elbows propped on his knees, his fingers intertwined as he hung his head. His leg was bouncing as if ants were crawling up his pants. From the looks of it, he wasn’t aware that your bag was under the bench he was on. 

In fact, he didn’t seem aware of much other than his own nerves.

Is he okay? you thought worriedly.

Considering he wasn’t even being forced to do push-ups like the other boys who had been caught late, you didn’t really know why he looked so anxious. You had an unnerving urge to check on him. So you did.

“Excuse me…”

When you got to him, you hesitantly stood the tiniest bit closer to him, in hopes that you could gently break him out of his nervous stump. You didn’t expect you to be the one stunned.

As soon as he lifted his head, you found yourself at a loss for words. Dark brown hair, a pair of wide eyes and a plump pair of lips caught you off guard. As they looked up at you, you unconsciously swallowed — thought you weren’t sure if it was because of the heat. 

Damn, you thought. He’s cute!

You quickly averted your gaze slightly to hide the flusteredness in your actions. You cleared your throat.

“Can I sit here?”

For a moment, there was silence. You stared at him. He stared back. Neither of you said a word, until he suddenly cleared his throat into his fist, a tinge of red appearing beneath his hands that went unseen by you due to the way the sun bounced off his dewy skin.

“Y-yeah, sure,” he stuttered out.

He subtly shifted to leave room for you — even though the entire bench was free.

“Thanks.”

You gratefully took the promised seat. You bent down to grab your bag and pull it out from under your seat, taking your water bottle out from the side. The boy next to you noticed and made a small noise. You turned to him questioningly.

He smiled, the sight of it instantly sending warmth to your cheeks.

“Sorry,” he said, “I didn’t realise your bag was there.”

You laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s not like it was in plain sight, anyway.” You took a sip of your water, savouring the coolness of it as it soothed your parched throat. You gulped the last bit you could swallow before turning to him. “By the way— why are you sitting here? The orientation started a while ago.”

It wasn’t unusual for students to skip out on those, considering it was practically useless formalities anyway. But there were way better places to do that than sitting under the blazing sun.

Also, the guy just didn’t strike you as the type to skip anything. In fact, you’d say he looked like the textbook definition of the ‘loser nerd’ archetype, with his immaculate uniform and neatly parted hair — though you’ve yet to meet anyone who fit in the stereotype so well, and yet manage to still look good in the process the same way he did.

The boy laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Ah, that…” He bit his lip as he lowered his gaze. “I got lost.”

You blinked. “Eh?”

The boy laughed at your confused expression. “I’m new,” he explained. “This is my first day here.”

“Ohhhhhhh…” 

You nodded at his explanation. It made sense. If anything, it would have been more surprising if you found out that he had been here this whole time and you’d never noticed him before — because someone like him would definitely catch attention.

At the same time, though, you felt your heart clench.

So he was sitting here alone all this time… You frowned at the thought of him drowning in his worries by himself. But upon seeing his eyes on you, you quickly fixed your expression. The last thing you wanted was to make him feel like you were pitying him. Guess there’s nothing to it, then.

You smiled.

“Well, in that case, why don’t I show you the way?” The boy blinked as you introduced yourself. “My name is [______].”

The boy’s eyes widened, his lips parting slightly in shock. For a second, you noticed his eyes flickered down to your blazer, where your name badge was sitting, proudly displaying your name: Yu [_____].

“Oh, right…”

To your surprise, the boy didn’t seem all that bothered by the awkwardness in your laugh. He simply smiled.

“I’m Jake,” he said.

You blinked, surprised by the foreign name. Your eyes subconsciously drifted to his name badge. And there it was. His name.

Jake Sim, huh?

A ray of sunlight fell over the two of you.

“What classes do you have?”

You sipped on more of your water as you and Jake walked side by side into the school. The boy opened his school-issued diary to reveal his timetable, before giving it to you to take a look. You let your eyez scan the paper, a feeling of wonder washing over you as you saw the classes he was in.

“Woah,” you said in amazement, “you have almost all the same classes as me!”

Jake’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

You nodded. “Yeah. The only class we don’t share is sports — but that’s because I do general P.E.” You smiled as you handed his timetable back. “So you’re into soccer, huh?”

Jake laughed as he put his timetable back into his back. “Yeah. Been playing it since I was little.”

“Really?” you asked. “You must be good at it, then.”

Jay smiled bashfully. He bit his lip, before shaking his head, as if he was thinking of saying something before ultimately deciding not to go ahead with it.

“How about you?” he asked. “Do you play any sport?”

The two of you fell into easy conversation as you walked down the hall to your first class of the day— homeroom. You found it funny how easily the two of you got along. Despite your first impression of him being someone shy, he had no problem engaging you in small talk. 

“So you moved to Australia a few years ago and now you’re back, huh?” you tilted your head. “How’s it going for you, so far? It must be tough moving away from the place you grew up.”

“It was,” Jake agreed. He nodded before turning to you with a smile. “But… I think it’s good so far.”

You blinked, raising your eyebrows in surprise. Laughing, you turned to face forward, not wanting to give away how flustered you were at that — probably too flustered than you should have been, if the giddy feeling in your chest was nothing to go off.

Damn you for being cute, you thought.

“Anyway!” you cleared your throat as you stopped outside a class. “Here’s our first class of the day.”

You smiled brightly as the two of you made it to the classroom you’d be spending home room in for the rest of the year together. With a small flourish, you presented the door.

“This is probably the most chill class you’ll get. And Mr Boo is a cool teacher.” You opened the door, allowing yourself to turn your back to Jake for the first time. “You’re really lucky, you know?”

Jake smiled.

“I guess I am.”

“I really was a lucky one, huh?” Jake chuckled fondly, smiling as he recalled the memory of your first meeting. A few seconds passed in silence before he let out a defeated sigh. “I wish I could give some of that luck back to you…”

He frowned. “I don’t think you know just how grateful I was to you that day. You were my first friend here in Korea… You don’t know just how happy I was to meet you.”

Jake laughed.

The boy bit his lip to hold back a smile, running a hand through his hair. “Is it weird that I was super happy when when we first had lunch together…”

“WANT TO HAVE LUNCH TOGETHER?”

Jake’s head snapped towards you in shock as you casually packed your things away from next to him. You two had the first two classes of the day together, and for convenience sake, the teacher had paired you up with Jake as deskmate buddies, seeing as you already knew each other.

You had originally planned to find your best friend (whom you had wanted to meet up with as soon as you could), but you felt for the transfer student who had no one.

“Really?” Jake’s eyes widened. 

You knew he hadn’t gotten the chance to familiarise himself with many of his other classmates yet, considering he had been stuck to your side, so it only seemed right that you — as his unofficial guide — hung around to keep him company for now. (You had no doubt that once he met his fellow members of the soccer team, he would have no problem fitting in.)

You hummed in affirmation. “Come on! We should get going — the line has probably calmed down by now. But once the sports teams make it from the field, it won’t be as calm.”

Nodding towards the door, you headed to join the rest of the crowd of students making their way to the cafeteria. Jake smiled as he eagerly followed behind you like a puppy after its favourite person. (You held back a giggle at your analogy — it was a perfect reflection of the boy’s personality from what you knew of him so far.)

On the way to the cafeteria, you couldn’t help but notice the effect he left in his trail – all the admiring looks and girlish giggles from any female student you walked past, and the way they would push and squeal at each other when Jake spared them his handsome smile. You chuckled quietly to yourself when this happened. You didn’t know whether he had subjected your peers to his charms on purpose, or if he was oblivious to his effect on them. But for now, you decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Once the two of you arrived at the cafeteria, you got your food and found a table for yourselves in the quiet corner. Just the two of you and your lunch, enjoying each other’s company as you made small conversation.

“You have a dog?” you asked with interest.

Jake nodded as she proudly showed off his lock screen, where the said dog was on display. He looked like a child showing off his favourite toy, and you couldn’t help but smile as he introduced you to his friend.

“Her name is Layla. Isn’t she cute?”

You nodded enthusiastically. “She’s cute.” Jake smiled even brighter at your response watching as you admired his pride and joy. At that moment, you had a sudden realisation. Tilting your head, you said, “Wait– her name is Layla?”

“Yeah,” Jake replied.

You smiled. “I used to have a dog plush named Layla… It was my favourite toy when I was little; I carried it everywhere with me.”

You sighed wistfully.

It had been a while since you held that toy in your hands: When you were little, you had given it away. Ever since then, you never saw it again. To this day, you still wondered what had happened to it, if the child you gave it to cherished it like you had; if it was stored away somewhere safe as a precious memory of their childhood, or if it had already served its purpose and was drowning in a mountain of trash at the landfill by now.

Oh well. Whatever happened to it, it was out of your hands now.

“Really? What a coincidence,” Jake said with a bright smile. For some reason, your little revelation seemed to please him. “Layla’s in Australia at the moment with my mum, but I want to bring her back with me after the next time I visit.”

You stored away the fact that Jake inadvertently revealed he wasn’t living with his mother, and decided not to bring it up out of respect for his privacy. So, instead, you simply said, “If you do, invite me over – I’d love to meet her.”

Of course, you didn’t really expect Jake to do such a thing. After all, the two of you had only just met – it wasn’t as if you would remain close friends just because you were the first to welcome him into the school. He had the makings of someone who would be very popular among your peers. He would have no shortage of people wanting to befriend him.

But to your surprise, Jake agreed. And he was nothing but sincere as he went along with your suggestion.

“Sure, thing!” he replied. “I have a feeling she’ll like you a lot. She’s a good judge of character.”

You let the subtle compliment that Jake gave you warm your insides before promptly brushing over it with a small clear of your throat. You looked down at your tray of food and dug into it with your spoon. However, as you took a bite of it, you found Jake’s eyes on you.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” you asked awkwardly. You never really knew what the proper response was to someone watching you eat...

Jake laughed before shaking his head. He looked down at his tray and followed your example, before letting out a hum of delight. “It’s good!”

You blinked before letting out a laugh. “I’m glad. Eat up.”

For his sake, you decided not to point out the fact that he had only eaten a spoonful of rice.

After eating lunch, it unfortunately came time for the two of you to separate. As you had already pointed out before, the two of you were in different classes for sport – which coincidentally happened to be what you had next. So, as the two of you returned your trays, you got ready to bid Jake good luck as he prepared to meet new people.

“WHAT?!” Your best friend Yunjin screamed as soon as you told her the news. “So you’re telling me that while I was stuck making posters in a hot ass classroom with broken air conditioning, you went and hit it off with some cute new guy AND had lunch with him?!”

You laughed as Yunjin flopped on the bleachers at the basketball court, where you were waiting for your PE teacher to show up for class. It had been almost ten minutes since you had all changed into your sports uniform, obediently sitting under a fan that did nothing but blow hot air into your faces, but no sign of him showed up. So, you made use of the time to tell Yunjin about your eventful morning without her.

“When can I get your luck with guys?” Yunjin whined. “The only guys who approach me today are ones from the student council who have a problem with my hair colour, and Beomgyu–” (You laughed at the disgust with which Yunjin spoke of the boy who she had been having a petty rivalry with since middle school.) “—who kept telling me I look like I have no eyebrows.”

“You know he’s just trying to annoy you, like always,” you reassured. “You look hot. Trust me.”

“Awwwwww.” Yunjin hugged your side and leaned her head on your shoulder. “Thanks, babe. You’re hotter, though.”

You laughed and leaned your head onto hers. The two of you remained like that for a while before Yunjin sighed and sat up straight.

Five minutes later, your PE teacher came rushing into the gymnasium with an apology for having been held up and began your lesson. The time passed by faster than you thought it would, and sooner than later you found yourself walking towards your final class of the day. There, a familiar face was ready to greet you with a wave.

You smiled as you walked up to Jake. “Hey! How was class?”

Jake immediately told you all the good news about his class, causing you to smile. By the time the teacher walked in to begin the next class, you were already too deep in conversation that you didn’t want to stop. Thankfully, class ended just as quickly as PE, and you found yourself walking away with Jake by your side, talking animatedly about all things until you had to part ways.

Unexpectedly, Jake seemed to like you more than you would have guessed. Because before you could say goodbye, he asked you for a way to keep in contact with you personally.

“You just seem really cool, and you’re my first friend here…” Jake shyly rubbed the back of his neck as he looked down at his feet. “Plus, we share the majority of the same classes, so I thought…”

Now, you weren’t usually the type to give away your contact details so easily. But for some reason, you had a strange feeling that you could trust Jake. Maybe it was the purity of his smile, or the way his eyes that were filled with mellowed warmth that could put hot cocoa on a winter day to shame – whatever it was, you were drawn to it.

So, you smiled.

“Okay!” you said.

The affirmation caused a rush of joy to reveal itself on Jake’s face; a child-like happiness, much like a young boy who had met his hero in flesh. And that day, you went to meet Yunjin with the most innocent heartthrob you’ve ever met just a tad bit closer than before.

Jake laughed fondly at the memory. “You really made me nervous. Did you know? My heart was racing so fast when I asked for your number — I was so happy you said yes.”

Jake smiled as he ran a hand through his hair. After a short moment of silence, he began to laugh again, resting his chin on his fist as his eyes became full of mirth.

“Some of my happiest moments were when I was talking to you. Whether it was in person, or on the phone, I always felt so much better. Did you know that?” Jake smiled. “You probably didn’t… You were kinda dense like that. I don’t even know if you knew how I felt about you even after all the hints I dropped.”

Jake started to chuckle quietly at himself at his own little inside joke. “What an idiot… You couldn’t even see that I wanted to be more than friends with you…”

As soon as that sentence left his mouth, Jake suddenly perked up, looking like a puppy that had just caught sight of a new stuffed toy.

“Actually, now that I think about it— I’m curious: After meeting me, when did you first consider me a friend?”

IF ANYONE WERE TO ASK HOW YOU BECAME SUCH GOOD FRIENDS WITH JAKE SIM, your genuine reply would be, “I have no idea.” Because you really didn’t.

It had been a month or so since his first day at school, and just as you thought, he fit in very nicely with the population that it was almost hard to believe he was once a transfer student with no friends. And yet, even so, you were surprised to find that he didn’t lose contact with you. In fact, if anything, you only managed to get closer.

It had started out with a simple series of texts between the two of you after exchanging contact details. Surprisingly enough, he had been the one to reach out first. And after a month of casual texting, it had now become a routine where by the time you had gotten out of the shower, you would find a text notification with his name on it.

Today was one such day.

Jake: Hey, did you get home safely?

Subconsciously smiling to yourself, you found yourself typing back a quick reply. 

You: hey! You: how was training?

You knew that he had after-school soccer practice that afternoon. And judging by the time, it was likely he had just finished. Which was why it was even more surprising that he had texted you: Wouldn’t he have been too tired?

Jake: It was pretty good thanks Jake: Got in a few goals and got complimented by the coach

You giggled. You positioned yourself comfortable on your bed, lying on your stomach and using your pillow to prop you up as you typed back a response.

You: what a humble brag 😆 You: but good job

It didn’t even take a second for Jake to send back a reply.

Jake: Thanks 😁 Jake: How about you? How was practice?

One of the things Jake had gotten to know about you was that you were part of the school’s street dance club. Something which had him in absolute awe when you first told him. You’d never forget the look in his eyes that day, as if the stars themselves made a home in the dark — but clear — depths of his eyes.

You: it was pretty good You: got the choreo down pat and even got a few compliments from my crew members

Your school’s dance club was set to perform at the upcoming school art festival. So, you were all diligently practising your choreography to make sure you were as close to perfect as humanly possible. And you just happened to be very dedicated to your passions.

Jake: What a humble brag

You laughed at Jake’s use of your own words.

You: anyway did you get hurt at all during practice??

You had gotten into the habit of checking if he was okay whenever you got the chance. As a dancer who had to take care of their body, you often had the habit of doing it to others. Since Jake was an athlete (in a contact sport, nonetheless), his chances of injury were higher than the average person. So, you made sure to take special note of his health too, as a good friend would. 

Especially after what happened before.

It was on a seemingly uneventful day that didn’t quite go as planned. Exactly two weeks after Jake’s first day at Hybe High, your PE teacher suddenly had to leave halfway through the lesson. Your poor teacher had been feeling ill and wasn’t in the best condition to teach, leaving his class — including you — in dire circumstances.

Because unfortunately for you, the person left to take care of your class for the remaining half of the lesson was none other than the soccer team’s coach. None other than Coach Son, who was infamous for his high standards, harsh words, and short temper. And who — coincidentally enough — had been the one to punish you with the lap around the field on the first day of the semester.

“Shoot—!”

You ducked behind Yunjin as soon as Coach Son’s intimidating presence made itself known at the indoor basket courts, which suddenly seemed a lot smaller now that he was there.

Thankfully, though, he didn’t even seem to notice you as he started snapping at your classmates to pack your other things. He immediately turned his back as soon as everyone had their bags in hand and led you like a lost herd of sheep towards the soccer field. He didn’t look over his shoulder once. Nor did he say anything to your class other than a curt, “Hurry up!” when you were supposedly too slow for his liking.

“How is someone still walking so fast at his age?” You whispered quietly to Yunjin. (Since the two of you were at the back of the group per your request, you didn’t fear being heard.) “I swear he’s the same age as my great aunt — and she can’t go more than five metres without complaining about the pain in her knees.”

“I know, right?” Yunjin then tilted her head as she pondered something. “But don’t you get back pain sometimes?”

Your head whipped towards Yunjin in offence. “I’m a dancer — back pain is normal!”

Yunjin hummed non-committedly. “Sure thing, old lady.”

You playfully shoved Yunjin as the two of you erupted into boisterous laughter. But apparently, being happy was a crime, because not even a second later, Coach Son snapped, “The ones laughing at the back — keep it up and you’re running two laps around the field.”

You and Yunjin promptly shut up.

When your class arrived at the soccer field, all of you stopped for a moment to admire the players of the soccer team. It seemed that, in his absence, Coach Son had committed them to doing drills while they awaited his return. And while you weren’t sure if they were doing those drills for the entirety of the time Coach Son had been gone, you could say for sure that you were thoroughly impressed by the discipline and organisation in the team.

Some were dribbling a ball around cones set out on the field, some were juggling the ball with their foot, and others were shooting goals with fellow teammates as goalkeepers. None of them were idle — they only stopped a few moments to take breathers and get a drink of water, before getting right back into it.

“Take your stuff and find something to do,” Coach Son instructed, breaking your classmates out of their daze. “I don’t care what it is— just don’t waste time or get in the way of my boys’ training.”

With that, he set off to start yelling orders at his team. And honestly, you weren’t even offended at his lack of attention for you and your classmates— in fact, you welcomed it completely. So, without wasting another second, you and Yunjin made a run for the bleachers, securing the shadiest spots so you wouldn’t have to roast in the sun.

“Wait, isn’t that your best friend?” Yunjin asked, causing you to furrow your eyebrows in confusion.

“Who?”

Yunjin nodded towards the field. “There. Number 5. The one standing there looking hella fine.”

At that exact moment, your eyes landed on an all-too familiar figure. And just like Yunjin said, he was looking far too good to be allowed.

Jake stood there in the sun, the rays illuminating his face in a golden halo of warmth. Beads of sweat dripped down the side of his face, dampening his hair, which he had run a hand through to keep from sticking to his forehead. Your eyes subconsciously followed the movement of his hands as they brushed through the strands, only for your eyes to almost pop out of their sockets with his next move.

Before you could recover from your stupor, Jake lifted his shirt to wipe the sweat off his forehead. And in the process, he had revealed his toned abdominal muscles, which could have only been produced through the shedding of blood, sweat and tears.

You would be lying if you said it wasn’t the most attractive thing you’d ever seen. Anyone with a pair of eyes would agree that Jake Sim was one fine specimen. In fact, you probably would have continued unashamedly staring like an idiot if it weren’t for the loud screams of the girls in your class, who happened to witness the same sight that you did.

Jake jumped in place, his head turning toward the group of girls to your right with wide eyes. He had been so immersed in his own world he hadn’t even noticed your class there — but when he did, he had a look of a startled animal, who had come across humans for the first time. You could briefly make out a, “That startled me!” from the movement of his lips, causing you to bubble with amusement.

You laughed at his reaction, filing it away for later. At that exact moment, when you were smiling at his surprise, his head suddenly turned towards you. You felt your heart skip a beat from the sudden eye contact, and you were unsure of what to do. But before you could even debate it, Jake’s face had broken out into a wide, eager smile, and had lifted one of his hands to greet you in an enthusiastic wave.

From the corner of your eye, you could see the envious stares of the girls beside you for having received his attention so easily. But you ignored them.

You shook your head, laughing. But even so, you waved back. Seeing your wave, Jake became brighter than before — if that was even possible. And anyone with an eye for skill could tell his performance increased triple fold since noticing your presence. You admired the easiness in which he dribbled the ball, and the smoothness at which he glided across the field while dodging obstacles in the way. Not to mention, the wind blowing his hair back from his face, and the way he casually shot a goal as if it were the easiest thing in the world. 

“What a show off…” You mumbled to yourself, watching as Jake looked at you after scoring a goal, before joining his teammates in a congratulatory cheer. But even so, you couldn’t help but smile. “He’s kinda cool, though.”

Yunjin gave you a knowing look. But you missed it.

The two of you eventually decided to do some productive work and got working on the homework you had for the next class. You should have started earlier — but procrastination had been a bane to all students’ existence since the establishment of homework as a concept.

When you had finally finished, you stood to go to the bathroom before the final fifteen minutes of the lesson, where everyone would be rushing in to get changed out of their sports uniform. But unfortunately for you, you needed to pass by the file to get to it — which wouldn’t be the problem if it weren’t for the fact that someone had kicked a stray ball at that exact moment. One that was heading straight towards you.

“Watch out!” Someone yelled out to you.

You couldn’t even register what was happening until it already happened. One second, a ball was flying right towards your face, causing you to bring your sled uo reflexively in defence; the next, you were being pushed out of the way, and then falling to the floor, only to land with an “oomph”.

Only, the “oomph” didn’t come from you. It came from Jake, who had somehow cushioned your fall. It seemed that Jake was the one to push you out of harm’s way to save you from the ball that almost hit you in the face — the one which now lay forgotten a few feet away — and had used himself as a safety mat to ensure you didn’t fall to the ground too harshly.

You didn’t even know what to make of it. You knew he was a nice guy. You witnessed him helping teachers carry boxes, explaining homework to your confused classmates, and even willfully sharing his snacks with whoever was in the vicinity). But not to this extent. Not to the point where he would willingly put himself in harm’s way to keep you safe.

You gasped as you noticed his wince, immediately lifting yourself off of him — only to be stopped by his hand on your wrist. “Are you okay?” he asked, looking up at you with concern written all over his face.

“Am I okay—?!” You couldn’t even form words at the absurdity of his question. “You’re the one who's on the floor— I should be asking you that!”

Jake shook his head as he slowly sat up. “I’m okay— Ah!”

Your eyes widened as Jake winced.

“Hey, are you okay?!” You asked. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?!”

By now, your voice was shaking with panic, your eyes almost tearing up. You wouldn’t have forgiven yourself if he had gotten an injury because of you. But somehow, Jake didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. He only offered you a warm, reassuring smile.

“I’m okay as long as you’re okay.”

You frowned. How did that make any sense? You barely knew him. Why would he care so much about your safety?

Before you could find anything to say, Jake’s teammates and his coach rushed over to check on him. You watched as the coach gave Jake’s wrist an inspection and shook his head. “It’s okay, just a light sprain from when you landed on it. Go get some ice from the nurse— don’t worry about the rest of practice.”

If Jake had any complaints about missing out on practice, he didn’t voice them.

“You.” You jolted slightly when Coach Son turned his gaze to you. “Since he was trying to help you, the least you can do is take him to the nurse’s office.”

You didn’t even have the heart to argue. You nodded your head obediently. You got to your feet while slowly helping Jake up from the floor by holding onto his arm. You didn’t dare look at him as you led him towards the nurse’s office, overwhelmed by guilt and shame.

Why didn’t I look where I was going? you scolded yourself internally. Idiot…

“We’re here,” you said as you arrived at the door of the nurse’s office. “Excuse me!”

You slowly opened the door, before peeking through the gap, only to find it was completely empty. It seemed the nurse was out on break, leaving the two of you to your own accord. Fortunately, you were quite familiar with the layout of the infirmary considering your own visits to it in the past. So, you quickly ordered Jake to take a seat on one of the beds as you went to the fridge.

You grabbed one of the instant ice packs inside the freezer compartment and wrapped it in a clean towel lying nearby. After breaking it, you held your empty hand out to Jake.

“Here,” you said softly. “Pass me your wrist.”

Jake blinked up at you, his expression unreadable. But he followed your order and handed you his wrist. Your eyebrows furrowed as you observed the red and swollen state of it. Sighing, you gently placed the ice pack on top of it, hoping that the coolness of it would be effective in remedying it.

“I’m sorry.” Your eyes were still trained in Jake’s wrist. “I should have watched where I was going…”

It was one thing if you got hurt. But it was a completely different matter if someone else got hurt in your stead.

Jake shook his head. “Don’t be. I chose to jump in — you couldn’t have known I would do that. If anything, it was my fault for not breaking my fall properly.”

You huffed in indignant. “Seriously— why are you taking responsibility for that?” You asked incredulously. “If I got hurt, it would have been fine. A bleeding nose would heal way faster than your sprained wrist, anyway. Plus, the soccer team has a match next week: What will you do if you can’t play?”

You didn’t mean to scold the boy. After all, he had gotten hurt because of your mistake. But even so, Jake didn’t take any offence to it. In fact, he could only smile that same cheerful smile that had grown on you faster than you could ever have anticipated.

“So you’re saying I should have just done nothing?”

You glared weakly at Jake. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Jake chuckled. “You know— you remind me a lot of someone I knew.”

You raised your eyebrows. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Jake nodded with a fond smile on his face. “When I was little I hurt myself and this little girl I knew at the time told me off.” Jake laughed as he recalled the memory. “I think she called me an ‘idiot’, actually.”

“And she’s right,” you said. “You shouldn’t throw yourself into harm’s way like that. Idiot.”

Jake laughed at your jab.

“Sorry, but no can do. I wouldn’t be much of a friend if I let you get hurt, would I?”

You were silent as you stared at Jake. He looked up at you with sparkling eyes. Despite yourself, you couldn’t help but smile. “What makes you think we’re friends?” you teased.

Jake pouted. “Hey! Even if you didn’t consider us friends before, surely we’re friends now, right?”

You hummed thoughtfully. “Are we? I don’t know…”

“Naurrrrrr,” Jake whined. “Don’t do that.”

You laughed brightly at the sudden English, along with Jake’s obvious Australian accent.

“‘Naurrrrrr,’” you imitated.

Jake burst out into joyous laughter. A small silence fell over the two of you as you stood in the infirmary, surrounded by empty beds and being cooled by the breeze coming from the air conditioning.

But your face had all of a sudden become hotter than when you were outside in the blazing sun, when Jake had suddenly said, with a genuine grin on his face, “That was cute.”

You froze in shock at the sudden compliment, causing Jake’s face to light up with joy.

“Here.” You suddenly shoved the ice packet towards Jake. “You’re fine enough to joke around, so you can ice your own wrist.”

Jake didn’t complain, only smiling at you, his eyes never leaving your figure as you busied yourself with looking around the infirmary to make yourself look busy. Not long after rummaging some draws, you pulled out a sheet of stickers.

Laughing, you walked over to Jake. “Pass me your hand.”

Jake did as you asked without question and held his hand out to you. As soon as he did, you carefully put the star sticker on the back of his hand, ensuring to avoid his injury. Jake laughed.

“Shouldn’t you be wrapping my wrist instead of giving me stickers?” he asked amused.

You shrugged. “I thought it might help.” Giggling, you nodded to his injured wrist. “So? Are you feeling any better?”

Jake hummed as he looked at you.

“Yeah,” he replied softly. “Much better.”

Through the windows, a sudden bright ray of sunshine shone upon the both of you. And all of a sudden, the room was a lot warmer than you remembered it being when you first walked in.

From that day forward (ignoring the part where Jake called you “cute”, because you weren’t ready to think about that), you always inquired about Jake’s health, just like now. There was a few seconds delay before Jake’s next text came through. But when it did, you almost felt like spitting out water that you didn’t even drink.

Jake: If I was hurt does that mean I can see you? Jake: I always feel better when I see your face

This little—!

You immediately sat up on your bed, sitting on your knees as you held your phone in front of your eyes. You blinked repeatedly at the screen, as if wondering if you had misread anything. But you didn’t. Jake’s message was clear as day. And for that, you didn’t know whether you were nervous, scared, or excited.

Judging by the swarm of butterflies that erupted in your stomach, it could very well be all three.

Clearing your throat, you positioned your fingers over the keyboard. You desperately racked your brain for something — anything — to say in response, so you didn’t cause an awkward emptiness in the conversation from your own flustered state. But to your astonishment, you couldn't think of a single thing. Jake had officially rendered you speechless.

You shook your head. Come on.

You: you can see me whenever you want anyway You: so don’t you dare get hurt

You could practically feel Jake’s grin in his reply.

Jake: Would you be sad?

You huffed.

You: very You: so take care of yourself

There was a few seconds delay. You could see the text bubbles on Jake’s end, but no words yet, and you briefly wondered just how long his response would be. But the message you received was far shorter than expected.

Jake: Yes ma’am 🫡

You scoffed. He took that long just to type that?

But to your surprise he didn’t stop there.

Jake: That goes for you too Jake: If you get hurt I’ll be really upset

You let out a small giggle, which had you slapping your mouth a second later. You shook your head to get rid of the giddiness.

You: don’t worry You: i don’t plan on getting hurt anytime soon

You smiled at Jake’s reply.

Jake: Well I owe you for icing my wrist Jake: So if you ever do get hurt I’ll be sure to look after you

“Right… I did say that, didn’t I?” Jake said with a smile as he flicked through texts together on his phone.

He had gone all the way to the beginning of your texts together to reflect on the progression of your friendship from your first meeting until before, but he didn’t expect to come across that particular conversation. That seemed so long ago now…

“I said I’d take care of you if you got hurt… Does that mean I’m keeping my promise?” He asked softly. “Am I looking after you properly?”

Jake then bit his lip, a faraway look in his eye. Only God knew how much time he spent by your bedside, making light conversation and checking on your parents to see if there was anything you needed — all to do what he could for you. And yet…

“But I feel like I’m not doing enough these days…”

There was a solemn silence in the room as Jake stared into the camera lens, eyes glazed over. Like his body was there, but his soul was somewhere far away — searching for yours, wherever it was. 

“All I can do is this… But I don’t even know if it will work, or if you’ll really come back to me… You always said I was the smartest person you knew, but I really don’t know what I’m doing right now…”

Jake let out a heavy sigh as he dropped his head into his hands, rubbing his face as if to wash away the thoughts that plagued him.  His shoulder started to tremble and his breathing was unstable as he tried to take a deep breath.

“I just—“ Jake let out a choked sob. “I miss you,” he said, his voice quivering. “I really miss you…”

YOU MISSED HIM. You were surprised to admit it, but it was true: You missed Jake Sim. You couldn’t even deny it. After so much time spent in each other’s presence — in the classroom, over the phone, and even outside of school hours — Jake’s absence was felt by you very deeply.

It was a hot Saturday afternoon, and you were stuck stacking ramyeon cups at the local convenience store where you worked part-time. But unlike the past few weeks, you didn’t have Jake’s amusing texts to keep you entertained during the tedious breaks you had between restocking shelves, sweeping the floor, and manning the counter while waiting for customers to pass by.

Jake had left for a soccer training camp at the beginning of the week, and returned early in the morning. Not wanting to disturb his much needed rest, you let him be. But even throughout the week, your texting was minimal, as he was often too tired from the day to stay up as late as the two of you usually did — and you would admit that it was getting to you, more than it should.

I wonder if he’s okay, you thought absently. You reflexively reached for your phone in the back pocket of your jeans, only to stop yourself. With a sigh and a shake of your head, you continued to take out instant ramyeon cups from the boxes.

You briefly registered the sound of someone entering the store and gave your standard greeting. “Welcome,” you called out.

You couldn’t see who was at the counter since you were hidden behind one of the shelves and still hunching over the box of ramyeon cups that you needed to stack onto the shelves. You quickly started to stack the cups in your arms so you could get back to the counter, ready to ring up the items for the customer when they were prepared to make their purchase.

You fumbled slightly as you tried to hold all the cups in your arms and one of them managed to slip from your grasp. You cursed as you watched it fall, unable to do anything but let it fall. Before it could hit the ground, however, a familiar-looking hand emerged to catch it.

You gasped as you looked up from the veiny arm to its owner, and was met with the smile you had come to miss so badly the past week.

“Jake!” You exclaimed, all joy and relief at seeing his (handsome) face again causing your voice to rise to a higher pitch than usual.

The said male chuckled. He raised his free hand and ruffled your hair, his eyes dripping with honey. “Miss me much?”

You couldn’t even argue with him. It was obvious to anyone how you greeted him with so much enthusiasm — but of course you couldn’t just admit it that easily. So, you quickly put away the cups of ramyeon that you had in your arms and took the one that Jake was holding.

“Are you hungry?” you asked. “It’s on me.”

You should have expected that Jake would put up some resistance, seeing as he settled for a cup of instant Shin ramyeon. But you, of course, couldn’t let that slide. So, while you claimed to be preparing the food for the two of you, you ordered him to sit at the seats by the window and sneakily added some extra dishes while he wasn’t looking, including spicy tteokbokki and extra cheese. For good measure, you even grabbed some sausage snacks on the side.

“Woah,” Jake said when he opened the lid of his cup. “What’s all this?”

You smiled at the awed look in his eyes. He really did get amazed at the smallest things. “It’s my special recipe,” you replied. “Give it a try and let me know what you think.”

Jake nodded and licked his lips as he prepared his chopsticks. You watching closely as he mixed the ingredients thoroughly, before lifting some of it to his mouth. Not even a second after he put it into his mouth, he hummed in delight at the flavour of the combination of foods, eyes lighting up like Seoul city at nighttime.

“It’s really good!” he praised. “Like really, really good.”

You laughed. “Glad you like it.”

The two of you fell into easy silence as you ate your fill. All of a sudden, you were reminded of the first time you had lunch together. That day, you never would have guessed that the two of you would be right here, right now. It was strange, how one fateful meeting on that first day of school changed everything for the two of you.

It made you wonder: What would have happened if you weren’t late that day? If Coach Son didn’t make you run that lap around the field? If Jake didn’t happen to sit right next to your bag?

Somehow, you couldn’t even imagine things happening any other way. Like something about your meeting was meant to be. It felt familiar; and most of all, it felt right. You didn’t know if you believed in destiny… But now, you were starting to think that perhaps some things did happen for a reason. 

Because otherwise you wouldn’t have met him.

“By the way, why did you come here all of a sudden?” You asked as you took a bite of your sausage snack. “You’re supposed to be resting today — and you don’t even live in this neighbourhood.”

Jake smiled. “Well… I guess I got too impatient. I really wanted to see you.”

You froze. You would have choked if not for the fact that you thankfully swallowed your food before Jake spoke — otherwise you couldn’t guarantee your own dignity. Something about Jake was that he always managed to say things like this without batting an eye, or even so much as a slightest bit of concern for how his words might come off to other people.

The funny thing was, you wouldn’t trade this Jake for the world. And so, even if he always managed to take you off guard and give your heart a jumpstart, you cherished him. Goodness… Who would have known just how badly you came to value his presence in your life without even knowing it? And all so quickly at that.

“What even?”

You gave Jake a nudge on the shoulder, causing him to chuckle as he pretended to fall off his stool. The two of you burst into laughter at his theatrics, easing the atmosphere into something carefree.

“But you know, it’s good to have you back,” you replied honestly. “It felt weird without you here.”

Jake smiled. “I could say the same thing about you.”

You raised your eyebrows and looked Jake in the eyes. The two of you continued to stare at each other, before you both broke out into uncontrollable giggles, as if both of you were under the influence of laughing gas. But as the two of you settled down, Jake’s smile became somewhat sadder than before.

“You know,” he said, “I used to hate instant ramyeon.”

Your eyes widened. “Really?”

Jake nodded. “Yeah.“

You frowned as you looked down at your bowl. Now that you were hearing about Jake’s dislike for instant ramyeon, you didn’t have it in you to enjoy your own food without feeling guilty. “Why didn’t you say so? Otherwise we could have eaten something else, instead…”

“Hey!” Jake laughed as he threw an arm over your shoulder and rested his hand on your head, keeping your eyes on him. “Don’t do that. I said I ‘used to’ hate it. I obviously don’t hate it anymore. In fact, I think it’s one of my favourite foods now.”

You blinked up at him curiously. “Why?”

Jake smiled, eyes dancing across your features like the sunlight streaming in from the windows where you sat. “Maybe because now I have you here to eat it with.”

You noticed that Jake didn’t say ‘a friend like you’ or ‘company’ to share the meal with. He specifically said, ‘you’. As if you alone were the reason the food he once hated so much became bearable. That it could have been anyone else; that you were the only option.

If you could make him even the slightest bit happier, you would be forever grateful. And if there was anything that troubled him, that made him feel sad, you wished you could always be there to make him feel better.

“If you ever have something that’s bothering you, you can tell me,” you said. “I might not be able to give advice, but it always feels better to get it off your chest.”

Jake hummed before gently rubbing the top of your head. You hadn’t even realised his hand was still there — and that only made you feel even more so that it was right. 

One of the things you had come to know about Jake was that he was an affectionate person by nature. That physical contact was a way of him showing his affection to those he cared about, and that you were fortunate to be one of those few people.

“I know,” he said. “Thank you.”

With one last lingering smile, Jake then returned to finishing his food.

You shook your head and continued to eat your ramyeon. But you immediately stopped when you remembered something. Quickly swallowing your remainder of food, you turned to Jake.

“By the way— I know you just came back from the training camp, but I forgot to ask: are you going to the art festival tomorrow?”

The Hybe Art Festival was an annual festival that your school held to celebrate the arts community within the school and their works. Anyone was welcome to join, and as you were performing on that specific day, you were planning to enjoy the stalls and activities after you performed. But you would rather have company to do it with.

Unfortunately, Yunjin had to bail last minute due to her family flying over from America as a surprise. You were upset about it originally, but knew it couldn’t really be helped. However, if Jake was free and eager, then you didn’t see the harm in taking him instead.

Jake hummed thoughtfully. “I don’t know…” You nodded slowly, hiding your disappointment, causing him to eye you with curiosity. “Why? Are you going?”

“Well I have to if I’m gonna perform,” you replied.

Jake’s eyes widened, causing you to realise that you never mentioned that you would be performing. Every time you mentioned dance practice, you didn’t elaborate on what it was for. Assuming Jake knew already, you unintentionally kept him in the dark.

“Why didn’t you mention it before?” he asked incredulously.

You laughed awkwardly as he fiddled with your hands in your lap. “I… kinda forgot?” You sighed. “And I was going to go with Yunjin, but something came up. I wanted to spend the festival with someone, but if you’re not going…” You tilted your head in thought. “Should I ask Sunghoon?”

As soon as that name left your mouth, Jake’s head snapped towards you. “Who?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

Your eyes widened in surprise. You hadn’t seen Jake with such a serious expression except when he was playing soccer or in class — it rarely came up at a moment like this.

“Park Sunghoon,” you elaborated. “You know — in the form class next door to us? The good-looking figure skater.”

“No— I mean, I know him.” Jake frowned. “I’m just wondering when the two of you became close?”

“We’re not really close or anything,” you said, “I just took a few ice skating lessons from him the past few Fridays. Ice skating is kinda similar to dance, too, so I thought it made sense to ask him next.”

Jake hummed absent-mindedly. “Oh, really?”

Jake started to chew on his bottom lip, a habit of his that you’ve picked up on during your time together. It was clear that he was deep in thought about something. You just didn’t know what. Even though you assured him he could speak about whatever was bothering him, it seemed this particular problem was one he didn’t feel like sharing — and you would respect that.

Jake shook his head, as if to clear his head of the thoughts that plagued him. “Okay,” he suddenly said.

You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. “‘Okay’, what?”

Jake smiled at you. “I’ll go with you.”

You let out an ecstatic giggle and grabbed onto his sleeve, shaking it back and forth in excitement. “Yay!” you exclaimed. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Jake chuckled at your eagerness.

“On one condition, though,” he said. You nodded, urging him to continue. Unexpectedly, he simply said, “You owe me a favour.”

Despite your continuous pestering, Jake didn’t answer any questions you had to the so-called ‘favour’. And so, you had no idea about what it could be. Still, you trusted Jake, and knew he wouldn’t do anything nefarious, so you agreed to his terms without a doubt in mind. (Though, of course, there was plenty of curiosity.)

When the two of you finished eating, you were ready to bid Jake goodbye. However, to your surprise, he didn’t budge after throwing away his instant ramyeon cup.

“Here,” he said, as he held out a small packet of candies from his pocket. It was brand new, yet for some reason looked familiar. As if you’d seen it before. “I actually really came here to bring this for you.”

“What is it?” You asked. Your eyes widened as you read the packet candy name. “Oh— this…” An amazed smile crossed your face as you inspected the packaging. Recognition sparked at the name of the candy: Blockbusters. “I used to love this candy when I was little. But then they stopped selling here in the city… Where did you get it from?”

Jake chuckled as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “The place where we had our training camp was pretty remote. They have an old convenience store that sold these — when I saw it, I thought you might like it.”

You let out a sound of amazement. “How did you know?”

Jake shrugged. “Lucky guess.”

“Well, thank you, anyway,” you said, smiling down at the packet in your hand. “I didn’t think I’d ever have one of these again until now.”

“No problem,” Jake replied. “Anyway — what do you usually do when you’re waiting for customers to show up?”

“Well, I either clean up a bit or…” You gestured to the boxes that you left when Jake entered the store. “I restock the shelves. I also have to check the fridge to make sure the refridgerated products are all thrown away.”

Jake nodded. “Okay, then what do you want me to do?”

You blinked. “Huh?”

Jake laughed at your confused expression. “Well you’re busy and I have too much time on my hands. We can work together and then walk home together.”

You couldn’t help the smile that crossed your face. It was so like him to offer to help you for something you were getting paid for just so he had the chance to walk you home. (Which, might you add, was in the opposite direction of his.)

You couldn’t even argue with him over it because you knew he wouldn’t budge. It was one of the few things he never compromised, actually — and you didn’t know whether to be grateful or scared: Grateful, because it meant you had an extra pair of hands. Or scared, because you were getting so used to it.

“Well, if you’re offering… There’s a broom in the storage room over there—”

“On it!”

Before you could finish your sentence, Jake was already making his way to the storage room. You laughed as Jake tripped over the box of ramyeon on the way. “That startled me!” he yelled, before bursting out into laughter.

You followed his example, unable to keep yourself from giggling at his clumsiness. Yeah, you thought fondly to yourself. I really missed him.

You wished, more than anything, that he could always be this way. This carefree and excitable Jake that you came to know and adore — you hoped he could always be this happy. And just as you wished for him to keep his smiles, you wished that you would always be there to witness them.

A sudden noise from the door caused Jake to look up, his eyes still bloodshot and his nose running as he continued to sniffle. He swallowed the lump in his throat and wiped away the dried tears on his cheeks, before a wide smile broke out on his face.

“Hey,” he said to the camera, his voice slightly hoarse. “Look who decided to show up.”

Just as Jake said this, a loud bark came from beside him. Jake clapped his hands as he looked at something out of the camera frame. Not even a second later, a large body of fur suddenly jumped up onto him, covering his face in affectionate licks.

Jake chuckled. “Layla, down!”

Immediately after his order, the said canine immediately sat down in front of Jake, lying down on her paws. Jake rewarded his companion with a stroke of her fur, before turning to the camera with a grin.

“Do you remember the day we first had lunch together? I said I would bring you over to meet Layla, didn’t I?” Jake said. “We never got to go through with that promise… So why not go through with it today?”

Jake leaned down to look at Layla’s eyes. “Layla, say hi to [_____].”

As if understanding Jake’s order, Layla turned to the camera and barked, as if giving a greeting to the receiver of the video. To you. Jake chuckled warmly before looking back at the camera.

“[_____], if you can really hear me… Just know that we both miss you a lot.” Jake smiled softly. “And we miss Layla Senior, too. How is she? I’m curious…”

Jake let out a laugh.

“I still remember that look on your face when I gave her back to you…”

THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT SEEING A FAMILIAR FACE IN A CROWD OF STRANGERS. The first time you understood what those movies were talking about — the ones where everything in the background faded as two people made eye contact, the way the world seemed to play in slow motion — was something you didn’t quite fully understand until today. Until you made eye contact with Jake as you made your way to the stage.

As you finished your performance, which you dedicated so much time and effort into, his face was the first one you sought out. And upon meeting your eyes, he lit up like a firefly at night. With a bright smile, he caught your attention and held it. So the only thing you could think about was getting off the stage and running your way towards him.

The Hybe School Art Festival was in full swing, and your club’s performance was one of the first to go on stage, meaning that you could enjoy the rest of the day. So you could have all the fun you wanted with Jake and not have to worry about leaving him behind to get ready for the stage. 

“You did good!” Jake immediately said as he greeted you with a customary head pat. “I’m proud of you.”

You couldn’t help the smile that broke out across your face, so wide that it even made your cheeks hurt from the force of it. “Thanks! Sorry to keep you waiting, though.”

Jake shook his head. “It’s okay. It was worth it.”

Your face started to feel warm, indicating the dangers of a visible blush. You playfully nudged Jake’s shoulder with your own. He pretended to clutch his arm in pain and stagger to the side — and almost right into a couple who was walking past.

“Oh, sorry,” Jake apologised as the pair gave him the stink eye.

“Hey!” You scolded with a laugh. You quickly pulled him towards you by the sleeve, before slapping his shoulder. “Watch where you’re going! That was so embarrassing...”

“Why are you blaming me?” Jake asked with wide eyes. “You’re the one who pushed me.” He rolled his shoulder. “Hey — I think you broke something.”

The two of you burst out into laughter. Shaking your head, you grabbed the edge of Jake’s sleeve and used it to lead him forward. “The poor soccer team,” you said as you weaved through the crowded pathway. “Stuck with such a weak striker.”

Jake’s head whipped towards you at the speed of striking lightning. His eyes were wide and his eyebrows raised in offence to your statement. Despite being a textbook ‘nice guy’, you knew after a while of befriending him that he had his own pride. And when it came to soccer, it showed more than ever.

“‘Weak’?” he asked, his voice slightly strained. “Did you just call me ‘weak’?”

You tilted your head innocently and pointed to yourself. “Me? When? You’re the one who got hurt with a tiny push.”

Jake scoffed. He stared straight forward before running his tongue along the inside of his cheek in annoyance. You subconsciously followed the movement with your eyes, and unwittingly became transfixed on the plumpness of his lips. You stared and stared — and might have stared some more if a slight nudge on your shoulder from another girl passing by caused you to snap out of it.

What the hell? you thought. Stay focused. Come on.

You have a determined nod before forcing your head to turn away. It wouldn’t be the first time that you forced yourself not to notice Jake’s apparent attractiveness — but it seemed to only get harder for you each time. You discretely fanned yourself with your hand to cool your burning face and pretended to look at the stalls to the right, so that Jake wouldn’t be able to see your red face.

From the moment you saw him, you were surprised to see him: He had dressed up in a white tee — that did nothing to hide the outline of his athletic build — and a pair of jeans. There was a gold chain around his neck and his hair was slicked back stylishly, uncovering the forehead that was usually hidden by his fluffy bangs. It wasn’t the first time you’ve seen him in casual clothing. But it was definitely the first time you’d seen him pull off a look that wasn’t so ‘big next door’ as much as it was ‘lady-killer’. 

Seriously, why is it so hot? you asked yourself. Why is he so hot? 

You jumped in place when you suddenly felt Jake’s hand suddenly grab your own, pulling you out of your reverie. Before you could even question him about it, he started tugging you alongside him and started walking with an increased speed of pace.

“Where are you going?” you asked in shock.

“Proving myself,” was Jake’s simple reply, which only caused you to be even more confused. Still, you followed him anyway, letting you lead the two of you through the pathways filled with people, cutting through the crowd as easily as fish swimming in a river. You only knew what he was up to when he suddenly brought you to one of the games that were set up at the end of the pathway.

“What’s this?” you asked curiously.

The game was set up with a large white canvas about four metres wide and tall, with a bunch of balloons hanging along the top of it, all in varying sizes. You noticed that some of the balloons had burst already, and underneath them were splatters of paint in different colours of the rainbow. A few feet in front of the canvas, there was a line of small bean bags. A few feet to the side, there was a wall of various prizes, including hats with the ears that moved when you pressed the pump devices in the paws; stuffed toys, and cute headbands and accessories along the top; followed by stationary and other cool gadgets moving down the board.

One of the girls spotted you and Jake and greeted you with a smile before explaining the rules of the game.

“You have to use the bean bags to pop one of the balloons along the top of the canvas. The smaller the balloon, the more choices of the prize you get,” the girl explained. “You get three chances to hit a balloon.”

“Ooooh.” You nodded in interest and turned to look at Jake. “Are you going to give it a try?”

“Of course,” Jake said confidently. He opened his wallet and gave the fee to the girl who explained the game before picking up one of the bean bags. He smiled as he walked back to the throwing line. “I’m going to go for the small one there.”

Jake pointed at one of the smaller balloons to the right. It would be difficult to aim when the surface area was smaller, so you would have personally gone for one of the larger balloons. But it seemed Jake was intent on “proving himself” as he said before.

You filled quietly as you cheered him on from the side. “You got this!”

You barely had time to react when a loud bang resonated through the air, following the sound of splattering paint, and an explosion of pink dye splattered across the once pure white column of canvas below the balloon that Jake had pointed out to you. You stood there with your mouth agape when you finally realised what had happened. 

“Congratulations!” the stall girl cheered. “You got it on one try!”

Jake, however, was looking straight at you. He raised an eyebrow and licked his lip, flashing his perfect teeth in a cocky grin that had your knees fighting to keep you upright. You let out a laugh of disbelief before shaking your head. With reluctance, you brought your hands together in slow applause.

“How was that?” Jake asked cheekily. “Pretty good for a ‘weak striker’, huh?”

You smiled back. “I guess you’re not that bad.”

Jake chuckled before throwing an arm around your shoulder and leading you toward the prize section. “Come here.” You looked at Jake over your shoulder as he led you, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Seeing your silent question, he simply said, “You lost the bet so now it’s payment time.”

You raised your eyebrows. “Since when was it a bet?”

“Since you said something wrong and I decided to prove it,” Jake replied quickly.

You scoffed. “Naur way…”

Jake laughed and ruffled the top of your head. The girl at the prize wall congratulated Jake before offering him a choice of prize. You watched as he chose a My Melody hat with moving ears. He smiled before looking at you. You eyed him curiously, only to jump away when he suddenly came closer.

“What are you doing?” you asked.

Jake simply smirked and placed the hat right on your head. “There.”

“What even?” You reached up to the ears, immediately trying to take it off. However Jake didn’t let you, and held your hands in your own. “I don’t suit things like this!” you whined. “At least get me the Kuromi one.”

“No,” Jake said firmly, “I think this one suits you just fine.”

He looked you straight in the eyes, his own sparkling with amusement and something akin to the look one would wear when looking at a puppy — full of tenderness.

“You look cute.”

Your face burned brighter than the pink paint that splattered from the balloon Jake had popped. What made it worse was the coping of the girl at the prize stall, who commented on how adorable the two of you were.

“You’re such a cute couple,” she said, “the cutest one so far.”

Your eyes almost popped out of their sockets. “We’re not—“

What took you back even more than the girl’s claim was the fact that instead of refuting it, Jake suddenly laughed and squeezed your hands, which he was still holding in his own. “Thanks.”

You couldn’t take any more embarrassment at that moment. Ripping your hand away from Jake’s, you turned away from him, intent on walking as far away as possible from the delusion girl and the wall of prizes. The last thing you heard was the familiar sound of Jake’s laugh, before he called out to you to wait for him.

You ignored him and continued to speed walk, the ears on your Melody hat flapping erratically as you repeatedly pressed the paws. By the time Jake caught up to you, no amount of silent treatment could get him to stop smiling. And seeing the fierce blush on your face only made it even more difficult.

As the art festival went on, you gave into the bribe of boba that Jake offered to win your favour, and continued as if nothing had happened. The two of yoy went through a plethora of stalls, trying all sorts of games and foods that were offered, until eventually the sky became dark and the day was coming to an end. People were starting to pack away their equipment, and people started making their way down to the sports field where the fireworks show would be held soon.

You and Jake decided to watch it from afar, to avoid getting caught in the foot traffic when the event officially ended and everyone was trying to go home at once. So, the two of you were walking side by side out of the gates of the high school, enjoying the quiet song of night critters and each other’s company. 

“There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask for a while,” Jake suddenly said.

You turned to him, momentarily stopping yourself from playing with the ears on your hat. “What is it?”

Jake smiled as he looked up at the sky. “That day when we first met, why did you help me out?”

You blinked in confusion. 

It had been a while since that day. Sometimes, you still looked back and pondered on it — the fatefulness of it — but not once did you ever consider the possibility of not helping Jake that day. In your mind, it was nothing extraordinary. You had simply helped someone you had the capacity to help: you were no saint, nor did you claim to be. You simply did what you could. 

It never occurred to you that you might need a reason for acting the way you did.

You shrugged your shoulders. “Why not?”

Jake laughed. He lowered his head, a smile on his face as he kept his eyes trained on his shoes. The two of you were walking in perfect sync, neither of you in front or behind of the other, just perfectly in line with one another. The sight of it seemed to amuse him.

“What is it?” you asked.

Jake shook his head. “It’s just… You really haven’t changed.”

You stopped in your tracks at Jake’s words, confused. Furrowing your eyebrows, you tilted your head in thought. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Jake looked down at you, a fond look on his face. “Remember when I said you owe me a favour for coming with you here to the festival?” You nodded. “Well I want to cash it in right now. For my favour… Just wait here for a second.”

You looked around your surroundings. You were still within reach of the school grounds, and there was a convenience store right across the two of you with several people inside. So it wasn’t as if it was unsafe. But you were a little confused as to why Jake was suddenly asking you to stand here.

“I won’t be long,” Jake said. “Promise.”

You opened your mouth and then closed it again. Then after a while of thinking, you nodded. “Okay.”

Jake gave you one last smile before turning around. And without another word, he was jogging off into the distance. You pouted as you stood there awkwardly, flapping the ears of your hat continuously as you watched Jake’s figure disappear into the distance. 

What was he doing? You really had no idea what was running through his mind. And what did he mean by, ‘you really haven’t changed? If it were anyone else, you would be a bit alarmed by his cryptic words. And yet, because of Jake, and this weird sense of safety next to him, you felt nothing but longing to know the truth.

After a few minutes of standing there, Jake’s figure reappeared. You subconsciously went to walk to him, only to stop in your tracks. He was holding a gift bag in his right hand as he jogged back towards you, and you had no idea what it was for.

Was it someone’s birthday? It definitely wasn’t yours. Was it something for you? But then you didn’t really do anything to deserve a gift… So what was it for?

Your mental guessing game came to an end when Jake stopped a few feet away from you, slightly out of breath, and with a few droplets of sweat on his forehead, but not looking any less happy than he was when he left. In fact, you’d say he was even more excited than before.

“Here,” he said, holding the bag out to you. “It’s for you — and before you say anything, no, I won’t take any give backs.”

You promptly shut your mouth. You had no idea what it was inside that bag, but you were curious, and a little touched. “Thank you,” you said while laughing. “Even though I don’t know what it’s for.”

Jake simply grinned, watching eagerly as you opened the top of the bag. You peered inside, unable to see anything due to the darkness outside. But as soon as you realised what it was, you couldn’t help the gasp that left your lips. Your eyes widened as you slowly took the item out of the bag, inspecting every inch of it with your eyes. 

It was a stuffed dog plush — but not just any. You flipped the the dog over and looked at the front right paw. There, you found your initials written in black ink, in what was obviously a child’s handwriting… And underneath it was a plus sign, followed by the three letters: S. J. Y.

“Layla?” you whispered, your voice almost nonexistent in your shocked state.

You looked up at Jake with wide eyes. And all of a sudden, every moment you shared together went flashing through your mind, before you picked out opened that you completely missed before now.

“This is my dog Layla…”

“Wait— her name is Layla? … I used to have a dog plush named Layla… It was my favourite toy when I was little; I carried it everywhere with me.”

“What a coincidence.”

“You know— you remind me a lot of someone I knew.”

“Really?”

“Yeah… When I was little I hurt myself and this little girl I knew at the time told me off.”

“I used to love this candy when I was little. But then they stopped selling here in the city… Where did you get it from?”

“...They have an old convenience store that sold these — when I saw it, I thought you might like it.”

“How did you know?”

“Lucky guess.”

“You really haven’t changed.”

The pieces slowly started to come together, and all of a sudden everything become so much clearer. Jake smiled upon seeing the realisation in your eyes. But you, for your part, couldn’t even believe it.

“Yunie?”

“You were seriously surprised,” Jake said, laughing.

By now, Layla (the dog) had left the room, leaving him alone once again. But unlike before, he hadn’t been consumed by his own grief; rather, he had embraced the happiness of the memories he had with you, letting it dry away the tears that he shed for you.

 “But I won’t lie… I was kind of nervous,” Jake admitted. “There was still a chance that you would have forgotten all about me. And I was scared that you wouldn’t recognise who I was even after I gave you Layla back. So I stalled as long as I could. Just to wait for the ‘right’ moment.”

Jake sighed as he leaned his chin on his fist. “You know what changed my mind?” Jake almost burst out laughing at his next confession. “Park Sunghoon. That guy… Even as a guy, I think he’s handsome. And you even admitted he was good-looking, too. I guess I got threatened. Maybe even jealous.”

Jake suddenly pointed at the screen.

“Sunghoon, if you’re watching this, forget everything I just said: I’m not scared anymore. Remember — I beat you in that arm wrestling match.”

Jake burst out laughing at his own antics. Once he finally settled down, he shook his head and bit his lip.

“I forgot to mention: do you remember that park we went to when we were little? I went there yesterday to visit it… And I couldn’t stop smiling, I’m telling you.” Jake chuckled. “I must have looked so weird laughing all alone like that… But you know what? Even though you weren’t there personally… I felt like I could still feel you right next to me.”

Jake let out a wistful sigh.

“It’s been so long since that day…”

NINE-YEAR-OLD SIM JAEYUN WAS STILL YOUNG. And as someone still young, he never understood the way of adults, or how their minds worked.

Jaeyun didn’t understand why his parents were married, and supposedly loved each other, only to spend all their time arguing. He didn’t understand why he — their only child, who was supposed to be loved unconditionally — was often forgotten in the midst of their dispute.

It was all too complicated, the world of adults. And he didn’t know if he ever wanted to grow up. Eventually, he got tired of it all. And without hesitation, he ran away from it all.

That was why he sat here now, lost and alone, eyes downcast as he sat at a playground bench — ignored and forgotten, just as always.

Until she came along.

“Hey.”

Jaeyun lifted his head to see a girl around his age standing in front of him. She was looking down at him with a pout while holding a dog plushie in her hands. Jaeyun blinked at her as she pointed at the spot next to him.

“Can I sit here? Me and Layla are tired.”

Jaeyun furrowed his eyebrows. Momentarily, he forgot all about what brought him here to this beach in the first place, now focused on the girl in front of him, who appeared out of nowhere.

“Who’s Layla?” he asked.

The girl held up the dog plush in her hands. “This is Layla. She’s my dog.”

“But it’s just a toy,” Jaeyun said factually.

The girl gave him a blank look and sighed. Shaking her head, she took the seat she originally asked permission for, slipping her backpack off and placing it in between the two of them.

Jaeyun looked at her. “I didn’t say you could sit down, though…”

The girl huffed. “I got tired from standing too long.”

Jaeyun went quiet. The two of them sat there in silence, with the girl petting her dog plush as if it were a real puppy. After a while, the girl with the dog plush looked at Jaeyun with curiosity.

“Why are you sitting here alone?” she asked curiously. “Where are you parents?”

Jaeyun hung his head in shame. “They don’t know I’m here,” he confessed quietly. “I ran away…”

The girl tilted her head curiously. “Why did you run away?”

Jaeyun sighed, sounding far too burdened than any nine-year-old should. “They keep shouting at each other, and I don’t like it. So I left.”

The girl hummed. “That doesn’t sound very good.”

Jaeyun didn’t say anything to that. Seeing Jaeyun’s expression, the girl started to rummage through her bag until she found a packet of candy. The girl carefully opened it before holding it out to Jaeyun with her arms.

“Give me your hand.” Jaeyun held out his hand, watching as the girl poured out some of the candy onto his hand. “When I get sad, my mama always buys me this to make me feel better. They’re called Blockbusters. They’re supposed to make you feel happy. So don’t be sad anymore, okay?”

Jaeyun blinked. Then, after a while, he finally smiled. “Thanks!”

The girl smiled back before pouring out some more candy for herself. The two ate their candy in content silence. When they were done, Jaeyun looked at the girl beside him curiously. She was somewhat strange, in his eyes. They didn’t even know each other, but she was giving him company and even sharing candy with him.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” he asked.

The girl looked back at him and shrugged. “Why not?”

Jaeyun didn’t know what to say to that, but in his mind, it sounded really cool. So, using the lessons he learnt from his parents, he introduced himself.

“My name is Sim Jaeyun,” he said. “What’s yours?”

The girl smiled back. “I’m Yu [____].”

Indeed, that girl was you.

Jaeyun broke out into a wide grin. “Do you want to go on the swings together?”

That day, when Jaeyun’s parents finally found them, they were incredibly angry. But at the same time, they were also very sad. Jaeyun watched as they cried and checked over him to see if he was alright — and for the first time in a long time, his parents shared something in common with each other. Their love for their only son.

But all Jaeyun could think about was how he had so much fun. And so, that night, as Jaeyun lay in bed, he wished that he could meet you and Layla again.

And he did.

Day after day, he went to the same park all over again, and played games with you and your favourite plush, Layla.

“Catch me if you can!” you yelled tauntingly, as you sprinted around the playground, with Jaeyun chasing after you. 

Your laughter rang through the park like a chime of bells, filling the air with the song of joy. It continued that way until Jaeyun suddenly cried out in pain, and you turned around to see him on the ground, clutching his knee in pain.

“Yunie, are you okay?!” you asked worriedly.

You immediately got down beside Jaeyun, who was bawling his eyes out. You immediately noticed the graze on his knee and got to work. Pouting, you got out a bandaid inside your backpack and carefully put it on him.

“Be careful next time, idiot,” you said as you patched him up. “That’s why you need to make sure your shoelaces are tied!”

Jaeyun sniffled and nodded. Seeing his dejected  expression, you got out your sheet of stickers from your bag. After some debate, you chose the golden star sticker and peeled it off the sheet.

“Here,” you said, as you placed the sticker on the bandaid. “Have a gold star to make you feel better.”

Jaeyun smiled up at you. “Thanks!”

“You’re welcome, Yunie.” You held out a hand to help him up. “Come on. Let’s go get some ice cream.”

And just like that, the two of you began to play again. Like you did every day before that, and every day after. The two of you became like two peas in a a pod, always seeking each other’s company, and finding refuge in it. And even if it was just for an hour a day, Jaeyun felt like he could escape the confusing world his parents lived in. Because he had a friend who was with him through everything.

But that all changed when one day, Jaeyun brought bad news.

“I have to leave,” Jaeyun said sadly.

“What do you mean, Yunie?” you asked, your head tilted curiously.

“Me and my mum are going to Australia,” Jake said. “So we can’t play together anymore. This is the last time.”

You frowned, your eyes watering. “But I don’t want you to go…” 

The two of you stood dejected in the middle of the park, heads bowed as a cloud of gloom hovered over your heads. Then, the waterworks came, and the two of you couldn’t stop the tears as you let them flow from your eyes. Who knew how long it was before you could speak again without wailing. 

Biting your bottom lip, you looked down at the plush in your hands. And after debate, you finally gathered courage. Taking out a black marker from your bag, you took one of the paws and started to write on it.

“What are you doing?” Jaeyun asked, sniffling. 

“I’m writing something.” You capped the black marker and held the plush out to Jaeyun. “Here. You have this.”

Jaeyun’s eyes widened. “But this is your favourite toy!”

You nodded. “I know. But mama said we give things to other people, it’s like we give a part of ourselves. So you can have it. Then it’s like we both go to Australia together!”

Jaeyun’s eyes widened as he looked down at the plush. Then, he furrowed his eyebrows in determination. “I promise to give it back when I come back,” he said resolutely.

You smiled in return. “Okay. Then I promise to wait for you to come back.”

And all through the plane ride to Australia, Jaeyun couldn’t stop looking at the paw of his plush, where the initials of tei names were written together, signifying the shared ownership of the toy, and the bind that the two owners of the initials shared.

The bond of you and him.

Neither of you knew how long it would take. Jaeyun himself didn’t think it would take ten years for him to finally fulfil the promise he made that day, and he found himself hopeless as he returned to South Korea, the place he once called his home.

Everything had changed. Nothing remained of what he remembered. Sim Jaeyun was now Jake Sim; the home that once house him and his family was now only holding him and his father; and the uniform he wore as a child to school was now long outgrown — even his own mother language was foreign on his tongue. He was a stranger in his own home country.

Jaeyun — or rather, Jake — started to think that maybe he didn’t belong here in the first place. Not with the memories he shared being so far gone in the past. He even started to wonder if, like all the things in his past (all the things that were familiar, that reminded him of home) were all gone.

But that all changed one summer day, when fate brought the two of you together again. And as if history repeated itself, it started with a boy sitting alone on a bench, a girl who walked up to him, and one simple sentence:

“Can I sit here?”

“SO YOU REMEMBER?” 

Jake chuckled at the expression on your face, full of conflicting emotions. 

“How could I forget?” you asked simply.

For so long, you wondered about that kid — Sim Jaeyun — who you befriended one fateful day at the park. The friend you shared your favourite candy with, and shared complaints about adults with. The one that took off with your favourite toy, with no signs of keeping that promise you made.

Every day since he left you sat at that same bench, hoping the boy you once shared candy with would show up once again. And yet, as days turned into months, and months into years, you had finally accepted that perhaps he had forgotten about you after all. That you were holding on to a loose rope. 

You couldn’t have been more wrong.

Jake looked down at his shoes, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t really know what to say… I’m really sorry I took so long. I don’t have an excuse. I just—”

Jake didn’t get to finish his sentence before he was tackled in a desperate hug. Jake staggered at the sudden collision between the two of you. And yet, it was painless. He let his arms come around you without hesitation, holding you to him tightly, yet gently. And as he stood there, he thought that he had never felt better.

“Why didn’t you say anything sooner?” You asked, your voice weak. “Seriously… You idiot…”

Jake laughed, gently rubbing your back up and down. You weren’t crying, nor were you smiling like him — you were simply treasuring the moment, letting it engulf you like Jake’s arms. 

You didn’t think it was possible to be affected by something that happened so long ago. That the bond you shared as two children could have carried on for so long. But you supposed that was the strange thing about string of fate: once it tied two people together, it wasn’t so easy to undo.

“I’m sorry,” Jake apologised once again. This time, his hand found its way to the back of your head, stroking it softly. “I took a long time, didn’t I?”

You closed your eyes, breathing in his scent for what felt like the first time. “Yeah… Way too long.” You buried your nose into his chest, clutching Layla the plush behind his back. “If I knew before… I would have hugged you way sooner…”

Jake smiled, his fingers dipping into your hair. By now, the Melody hat he had given you fell around you shoulders, giving giving him access to your soft locks. He weaved his hands through them, massaging your scalp comfortingly.

With a small smile he brought his lips to the crown of your head. 

“I missed you,” he whispered. 

You didn’t move as you felt the soft flesh of his lips find their way to your forehead, placing a tender kiss there. Your cheeks grew warm, your fingers clenching his jacket from behind, as if scared to let go.

“I missed you too…”

Above the two of you, the dark sky erupted into an explosion of bright colours; the crackling fireworks lighting up the night with cause for celebration.

“I’ll be honest: I regret a lot of things. But liking you was never one of them.”

“I WON’T BE LONG.”

In the park where you first met — and first separated — you and Jake found yourself standing side by side in front of the bench where your story first began.

You did your best to keep a smile on your face. But it was hard. You didn’t know why — only that, for some reason, saying goodbye to Jake Sim wasn’t as easy as you hoped it would be. It seemed like it was too soon to part ways again. That you barely had time to spend together… But now that holidays came around, it was about time Jake paid his mother in Australia a visit.

“I’m sorry,” Jake apologised. “I wanted to spend a little more time before I had to go back.”

You shook your head. “No. It’s okay. You can’t keep your family waiting…”

Jake nodded, biting his lip nervously as you continued to avoid eye contact. You sighed, before looking up at him, your eyes holding unspoken emotions.

You smiled, hesitantly but sweetly. “Just make sure not to take another ten years to come back.”

Jake laughed. “Okay, okay…”

You twisted your fingers in your hands. In the distance, you could see Jake’s taxi parked on the side of the road. “You shouldn’t make your taxi driver wait any longer…”

Jake bit his lip and nodded. “You’re right.”

Despite his words, he didn’t move an inch from his place. The two of you continued to stand there, neither of you wanting to make the first move. As if — in some strange way — you had a feeling you needed to make the moment last as long as possible.

The feeling that this goodbye could possibly be the last.

“And if I’m grateful for anything, it would be that I had one last chance to tell you what I wanted to all this time.”

“The last time I had to leave, you gave me something,” Jake suddenly said. “Can I give you something, too?”

You looked into Jake’s eyes, not even knowing what you were searching for. But something was there. Something that you had ignored for so long. Something you knew you couldn’t pretend not to see.

Under the light of the setting sun, his face was a rosy hue, reflecting the oink that was dusted across the evening sky. The light in his eyes was no flickering flame, but one of a thousand burning stars.

Your throat closed up at the heat in his stare that threatened to consume you where you stood, as if his burning gaze had left nothing but smoke in its wake, suffocating your chest.

“What is it?” you somehow managed to whisper.

Jake smiled softly and took a step toward you. Your heart raced inside your chest with the force of a galloping racehorse, threatening to break straight out of your ribcage and right towards the boy in front of you.

Jake’s hand found its way to your chin, tilting it towards him, so that your faces were perfectly aligned. Your lips parted, a slight gasp escaping your lips as his thumb lingered across your lips. His eyes flickered down to your lips, before slowly making their way back up again, as if committing your features to memory — like a camera capturing an image.

Seconds felt like hours, and each one that passed as you remained stuck in time felt like slow torture. Until finally, he leaned down and captured your lips with his own. It was almost as if it hadn’t happened, with how gently he pressed his lips against yours — like the flap of a butterfly’s wings against your skin. But the heat of his mouth spread across your body like a flame, overcoming you with its warmth.

“But if I had to change just one thing…”

And all too soon, it was over. As if someone had to physically pulling him back from you by the collar, Jake reluctantly let you go from his kiss. Your noses brushed, just as your eyelashes did. And when he looked at you, you couldn’t do anything but sigh.

“It’s up to you whether you give that back or not…” The corners of Jake’s lips lifted into that same smile of his. “But if you do… I’ll be back to collect it.”

You couldn’t believe what had happened, only nodding in your dizzied state. Jake smiled and placed one last pat one your head, before he got ready to leave.

“Well then,” he said. “See you when I get back.”

And with that, he walked away, leaving you to watch his figure as it got further and further away.

“I would have stayed.”

If Jake had known what would happen — the kiss he shared with you that day could have been the last —  he knew for a fact that he wouldn’t have left that day. But by the time he learnt what happened to you that day, it was already too late.

Only two weeks into his trip in Australia, he hadn’t received a single message or call from you. A part of him considered that maybe it was your way of rejecting you — and honestly, he would have preferred that. He would have rather known you were safe and hated his guts, than to know what he did that day.

“What did you say?” Jake asked, as he held his phone to his ear with a shaking hand. “What happened to her?”

The voice of your mother over the phone was the epitome of heartache and grief. That day, Jake had learnt what it meant to talk after having one’s heart ripped out of their chest.

“There’s been an accident…”

Jake dropped his phone at the same time as rain started to fall from the sky

Once again, he was late.

“But I can’t change the past. I can only promise you this,” Jake said. “So [____], if you can really hear this, then listen carefully.”

Jake took in a deep breath, steadying himself emotionally.

“I’m sorry I didn’t hold you longer that day. I’m sorry I didn’t hug you more, or tell you sooner how much I missed you. I’m sorry for all of those things — but most of all, I’m sorry that I didn’t stay.”

Jake swallowed the lump in his throat.

“But wherever it is that you are right now, I just want you to know that there’s no rush,” he said. “I don’t care how long it takes. You waited ten years until I came back… Just make sure you come back to me, okay?”

“You waited ten years before — I’ll wait ten more if that’s what it takes…” Jake chuckled and added, “I’m still waiting for that kiss back, after all.”

Jake sighed, trying to lighten the mood with his next statement.

“I have to go, otherwise the others will complain that I’m using too much memory. But don’t worry — I won’t stop visiting you.”

Jake leaned into the camera and gave one lasting smile.

“Love you.”

• RECORDING ENDED •

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kinda feel like deleting idk writing is hard sometimes🥴

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